They show rooms on the top floor of the famous landmark reduced to charred shells.

An appeal has been launched to raise millions for the rebuilding effort and a clear-up operation is getting under way to allow experts to assess the scale of the massive task ahead.

A source at the scene said: “There are cranes and cherry pickers working to try to clear as much rubble as possible so that the engineers can get in to start assessing the structure. Once you look down on to it, you really get a sense of just how bad the damage has been.

“The fire has moved from room to room destroying everything in its path. It is heartbreaking. You don’t need to be an expert to see it is going to cost millions to rebuild to anything like its former glory.”

The photos show how hard heroic firefighters had to work to save 90 per cent of the structure and up to 70 per cent of contents from the fire on May 23.

The library – regarded as one of Mackintosh’s greatest achievements – was destroyed but much of the artwork and priceless interiors survived.